Pedro is struggling in school—he’s in fourth grade but reading at a second-grade level. A teacher and his parents are committed to his success in the classroom, but it's not so easy for Pedro. The film is a magical journey through Pedro's world, where adults are not to be trusted and animals provide endless fascination.

Filmmaker Q&A

Introduce Yourself:
Peter Jordan is an award-winning filmmaker, who has produced films for international and grassroots organizations in 15 countries. His work has appeared nationally in the United States on PBS and in the New York Times. His projects with children from Darfur, Sudan were awarded a Gold Medal from the United Nations and nominated for the Seeds of Tolerance Award. His latest film, The First Kid to Learn English from Mexico, received a jury nomination for best short film at the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam. He also teaches children how to make their own films, using plastic video cameras and a solar powered computer. Peter is a graduate of the MFA program in documentary filmmaking at Stanford.  

What inspired this film?   How did you find your subjects?  
I wanted to find out whether the American Dream really exists for kids in neighborhoods with underfunded schools. So I started shooting at an experimental charter school designed to erase the achievement gap. And very quickly 9-year-old Pedro announced himself as the most promising film subject –– not only was he a recent Mexican immigrant and still learning to read, Pedro was also the most charming kid in 3rd grade.  

What were some of the biggest challenges/surprises?  
One of the challenges of working with a little boy with some behavior issues is that he's not always going to be the best-behaved film subject! Pedro would whisper things to me through the wireless microphone hidden inside his shirt. And eventually he learned how to turn it off, which spoiled a few scenes. But he was also a lot of fun. He worked out a deal trading games of hide-and-go-seek for interview questions which allowed both of us to get what we wanted.  

Who are some of your favorite filmmakers?  
Terrence Malick, François Truffaut, Michel Brault  

What is your all time favorite documentary?  
Impossible to answer!  

What other projects are in the pipeline?  
A magical realist documentary in Costa Rica  

Why did you become a filmmaker?  
I lost trust in book learning and wanted to find out what was really going on with the people in the world.  

What are some of your creative influences?  
Nature, children's books  

Did you go to film school?  
Yes, Stanford MFA 2008  

What do you shoot on?  
HDV, Canon XH A1  

What has been the most unexpected thing to happen since taking the film on the festival circuit?  
Winning some awards!  

Why did you want to screen your film at SILVERDOCS?
I screened at SILVERDOCS last year for the first time and it was one of my favorite festival experiences. I was really hoping I'd get to come again! SILVERDOCS honors the documentary form and it's nice to be a part of that.